Smallest magnifying glass

In November 2016, researchers from the University of Cambridge (UK) announced that they had developed the smallest magnifying glass. It is made of sphere of gold with diameter of 80 nm, covered with a single layer of an organic molecule (biphenyl-4-thiol) and a gold mirror. This device focuses the light to a record small spot with size of 0.1 nm3; this is smaller than the size of a single atom. Note. 1 nm = 0.000000001 m, about 50,000 smaller than a human hair.

The device is not stable at room temperature, but it works at -260°C. Owing to its high magnifying power, researchers used the device to watch the movement of a single atom.